ripcordkid 0 #1 October 30, 2003 anyone remember rod packs chuteless jump at (i believe)arvin in the early 60's? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cutaway1 3 #2 October 31, 2003 The first chuteless jumper was Rod Pack. I was there and saw it all, it was at Arvin Ca., I believe around 1965. Harry Haynes flew the Cessna 206, I believe, He had his flying liscense suspened for allowing the jump from his plane. Rod was a professional Hollywood stuntman at the time with only around 300 jumps. It was big world wide front page news at the time. He received $20,000 for the jump, alot of money at the time. Bob Allen, his best friend, passed a belly wart reseve parachute to him in free fall. I believe there were also 3 photographers on the jump,each one also had a landyard on their main lift web that they could use to clip on to Rod in case he missed the hook up with Bob Allen, one of them was probably Bob Buquor. They exited around 14,000, Rod got the reserve at around 10,000 from Bob Allen. Harry Small, the rigger, made a special harness for Rod that had 2 D rings that pointed out to clip the reserve onto. Rod opened around 300 ft. The reserve was unstreerable and he narrowly missed the only set of power lines for miles around. He said after ward that if the reserve didn't work, he didn't want alot of time to think about it. Rod was a big hero after the jump, and a hell of a guy. Tim Harris scr-21SCR-21 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuteless 1 #3 October 31, 2003 the date was January 1st 1965. In a Toronto paper the front page headline was The Greatest Stunt In History" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skr 1 #4 November 4, 2003 >I believe there were also 3 photographers Hi Tim .. strange to be meeting like this after all this time :-) I remember it as two photographers: Bob Buquor and Doyle Fields. I wasn't there that day, but I remember seeing the movies at the Rumbleseat a short time later. Skr Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lippy 918 #5 February 26, 2009 Old post, but somebody mentioned Rod Packs' name in another forum and I searched it. Very cool trivia! I had always thought Bill Cole was the first.I got nuthin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skypuppy 1 #6 February 26, 2009 QuoteOld post, but somebody mentioned Rod Packs' name in another forum and I searched it. Very cool trivia! I had always thought Bill Cole was the first. ************************** Bill was the first to do it more than once. Later Jimmy Tyler did it twice, the second time the reserve was strapped on top of a baker's bowl with a drogue attached to it to keep it upright. Jimmy later died jumping Half Dome in Yosemite.If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
patmoore 14 #7 February 26, 2009 I still have the article from Saga Magazine. I'll try to scan it and post in the next few days.DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
patmoore 14 #8 February 26, 2009 Found the article and scanned it as a PDF. It was from the May 1965 issue of Saga Magazine. I was a student at the University of Florida and jumping at Williston and the article blew me away. I've saved it all these years.DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #9 February 26, 2009 On page 7, there's a continuation of another story, but the beginning doesn't seem to be there. In the interest of completeness, can you add the missing stuff? I want to learn all about the "Secrets of Sky Diving." HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
patmoore 14 #10 February 27, 2009 It was a short article by Jay Shuttleworth. All but a paragraph was included in the earlier scan. I'll try to scan the rest of it but probably won't have access to the PC with the PDF scanner again until early next week.DZGone.com B-4600, C-3615, D-1814, Gold Wings #326, Diamond Wings #152. If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 6 #11 February 27, 2009 No big thing. I just couldn't tell whether there was a lot of other good stuff that was missing. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
murrays 0 #12 February 27, 2009 Thanks for posting that...one of the scariest things I've ever read!-- Murray "No tyranny is so irksome as petty tyranny: the officious demands of policemen, government clerks, and electromechanical gadgets." - Edward Abbey Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sfullerman 0 #13 February 27, 2009 Quote Thanks for posting that...one of the scariest things I've ever read! Agreed! Common sense would tell me that Rod couldn't have written the article if the jump went south on him.....but I was still on the edge of my seat! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DavidB 0 #14 February 27, 2009 Thanx Pat. I remember seeing that on TV back in the day. Very interesting to read it today, in context & all.When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skypuppy 1 #15 March 6, 2009 Were there moving pictures of this jump and are they available on the web somewhere??? Hi Skratch!If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead. Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimp 1 #16 March 6, 2009 Information in this article may give you some leads for a search: http://parachutehistory.com/skydive/rodpackjump.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
